Tilting locking steeking-wheel



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TILTING LOCKING STEERING-WHEEL.

To all whom, it may concern:

B e it known that I, EDWARD N. PAoaLsnN, a citizen ot'V the United States, and residing at Detroit, ih the county of lVayne and State of ichio'an, have invented a new and Improved 'Ililting Locking Steering-VVheel, of which the following is a specification.

`This invention relates to the steering mechanisms of motor vehicles and its object i0 is to provide a wheel which may he moved transversely to afford more rooin for the driver when getting onto or ol his seat and which may be locked to or unlocked from the steering post, which wheel shall he positive in its operation and may be constructed at low cost.

This invention is embodied in a tilting locking steering wheel embodying a rim and a spider, pivoted to a head which is in itself normally rotatable on the steering post, locking bolts being provided to connect the headfto the steering post and to lock the wheel tothe head, a cam being mounted adjacijfnt the locking bolts and whereby the 2'5 locking bolts may be moved to inoperative position. v It further Consists in a spring actulatetlp'aw'l to engage the cam at the end of its', movement when actuated to move the `'locking bolts to inoperative position. It

T also consists in providing a key-actuated lock to move Vthe pawl -out of engagement with the cam so that the cam and the bolts may be moved to operative or locking position. It also consists inthe details of con- 35 struction illustrated in the accompanying drawings and particularly pointed out in i. A. thef'drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of this improved ,steeringl wheel and Fi 2 is aside I,elevationthereof when mounte on a steer- ,i"?",`pofst. Fig. -3 is a side elevation of the '"i't eelqhead and Fig. luis a plan of the head ''zifnd` the adjacent portions of the ,s ider,

parts being broken away for the sa e of showing'the interior mechanism in locking ysiticn.` Fig. 5 is a plan of the interior mechanism in unlocking position. Figs. 6,

7 and 8 are sections on the lines (-G,'7-7

and 8-8 of Fig. 1 respectively. Fig. 9 is a perspective of the 'pawl and u lock therefor.

Similar reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

'lho stccringf wheel shown in Figs. 1 and 2 has 'n rim 1 und a spider comprising the arms I. and a central rectangle consisting of the side bars 4 and end or cross bars 5 and G.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 18, 1921.

Application led October i30, 191B. Serial No. 334,481.

A holt 7 connects the spider to the head 8, which is preferably rectangular and rotatably mounted on the bushing 9 which is rigidly secured to the steering post 10 by means of a nut l1 and a ke 12. The bushing has a collar 13 provi ed with locking notches 14 for the locking bolt.

The head is formed of the main or toppart 1G and the bottom 17. The hinge end of the head is preferably solid but the major portion of the opposite end is cored out to receive the part 17. The part 17 consists generally of a fiat plate on which is a rectangular boss 18 that fits between the side flanges 19 on the top member 16. This boss is formed with longitudinal rectangular grooves to receive the locking bolts 20 and 21 and with a transverse shallow flat groove to receive the cani-plate 23. It is also formed with grooves to receive the pawl 25 und the spring 2G. The two parts 16 and 17 are properly machined to fit the ends of the bushing so as to be freely rotatable thereon.

When the boss 18 is slipped up in between the flanges 19, the remainder of the top of the boss and thc cam-plate 23 will bear against the bottom 24 of the recess in the upper member, as shown in Fig. 6. Rivets 27 are used to hold the tivo parts of the head together. The cam- )late may have a downturned tongue 28 *`ig. 6) which carries a pin 29 to osition the sprin 26.

When tlie parts are as s own in Fig. 4, the bolt 20 engages in a notch 14 in the bushing and locks the head to the steering post while the bolt 21 engages in a notch 1n the cross bar 6 of the spider and holds the rim in a lane at right angles to the steering post. -T e rim, spider, head and bushing act as one piece. If now the extension 30 on the cam-plate be pushed in to carry the camplate to rthe position shown in Fig. `5, the cam faces 32` and 33,- in engagement with the pins 34 and 35 on the bolts 20 and 21 respecftively, will lull'in these bolts, disenlgainlg `theholt 20 rom the bushin 9 and t e o t 21 from the cross bar 6. T e rim may' now swing to the osition shown in Fig. 2 and the head may )e freely rotated Without turning the steering post. When the cam-plate reaches this inward position the awl 25 will he forced into th'e'notch 3G by t e spring 37 und hold all the parts in the positions shown in Fig. 5.

In order to bring the parts to operative position, a key is inserted in` the keyhole 38 i (F ig. 3) and the barrel of the lock 39 is turned. The fiat lag 40 on the inner end of the barrel extends into the opening 4 2 in the enlarged )art 43 of this pawl, as shown in Fig. 9. hen the key is turned, this lug will press back the wall 14 and withdraw the pawl from the notch 36, whereupon the spring 2G will move the camlate outward sufliciently to move this noto out of line with the pawl. The key is then Withdrawn and the wheel swung up to olierative position and turned until the bolt 20 comes into alinemcnt with a notch ll whereupon the cam face -l under push of theA sprin 26 will force the bolt into this notch an( the springr 4G will force the bolt 21 into the notch in the cross bar 6. The length of the cam face 33 is such that the bolt 21 may be withdrawn by the camplate before the notch 3G reaches-the pawl 25 so that the wheel may be swung: down and the head d1sengaged from the bushingr 9 without the cam-plate being locked. But When the camplate is pushed in to the limit of its movement, the wheel cannot again be used until the pawl 25 is withdrawn by the use of a proper key. It will be understood that the lock shown is merely a suggestion and that anv other type may be used.

he proportions and sizes and Vconstruction of the details as well as the relative positions of the various parts may all be changed without departing,r from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the follow ing.,r claims.

I claim 1. In a steering wheel, the` combination of a bushing secured to the steering post of the vehicle and provided with a notch, a head rotatably mounted on the bushing, a wheel pivoted on the head, a 4bolt slidable into said notch to connect the head to the bushing, a second bolt to lock the wheel in osition on the head, and means to move the olts to inoperative position, saidmeans eomprising a slidable cam-plate adapted to be manna ly operated.

2. In a steering wheel, the combination of a bushing secured to the steering post of the vehicle and provided with a notch, a. head rotatably mounted on the bushing, a wheel pivoted on the head, a bolt slidable into -said notch to connectthe head to the bushing, .a second bolt to look the wheel in position on the head, and4 means to move the bolts to inoperative position, said means laminate eomprisin a slidable cam-plate adapted to be mrinua 1y operated and a spring to reoperative position, and a key-operated lockr to withdraw the paivl to release the cam plate.

4. In a steering wheel for vehicles, the combination of a bushing secured to the steeriin.r post of the vehicle and provided with a notch, a head rotatably mounted on the bushing. a ivhpcl pivoted on the head, a bolt slidable into said notch to connect the head to the bushing, a second bolt to lock the wheel in position on the head, a slidable camplate to move the bolts to inoperative position. a pawl to lock the canrplate at one end oi itsl movement to hold the bolts in inoperative position, a key-operated lock to withdraw the Vpa wl to release the cam-plate, and a spring,r to press back the cam-plate to move one ot' the bolts to lock the head to the bushing.

5. ln asteering: wheel for vehicles, the combination of a bushing secured to the steeringr post of the vehicle and provided with a notch, a head rotatably mounted 0n the bushing and a wheel connected to the head, a` bolt mounted in the head and adapted to enter the notch to look the head to the bushing, and a slidable cam-plate to move the bolt toward and from the bushin (i. In a steering;r Wheel for vehie es, the combination of a vbushing secured to the steering post of the vehicle and provided .with a notch, a head rotatably mounted on the bushing and a Wheel conne d to the head, a bolt mounted in the head ladapt ed tofenter the notch to lock the head to the bushinlig, a slidable cam-plate to move the bolt toward .and from the bushing, a pawl to lock the cam-plate at one end of its movement, and a key-operated lock to withdraw the pawl.

EDWARD N. PAGELSEN. 

